Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good morning one and all!

The temperature is 71 and cloudy.

Have a great day!

 

[Ladies-Eight]

I finally got some pictures imported.

Now I'm ready to pay my back taxes.

This picture is one of my ISA Browns

This picture has two of my ISA Browns, the one on the right is Henrietta who lost her comb.

These are three of the six chickens I rehomed.

 

[TheCluckyClucker2]

Tax for whatever needs paying:

Here's Jackdaw. He is growing bushy eyebrows.

View attachment 2933470

His mother, Falcon, was the only crested hen that I've had and was a favorite of mine.

View attachment 2933464

Mine grow devil horns.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

I couldn't find anything even remotely relevant to why a Legbar knows it's Legbar.

This has been knocking around in my brain more than I want to admit. Sitting with the birds this morning, some thoughts finally formed, mainly around the concept that a Legbar doesn't need to know it's a Legbar to know it likes how other Legbars act.

In our setup, brooder mates stick together, but thanks to this thread, I'm now hyper aware when birds-of-a-feather segregate. Like when our Legbars sneak away from their Marans brooder mates to forage.

It's easy to believe the Legbars segregate in that instance because they're leaner and more driven to forage while simultaneously realizing Marans are big enough to steal the best foraged treasures. The Legbars leave to satisfy hunger away from the prying eyes of the Marans.

The Legbars also segregate when there's a good sunbeam to nap in. The Marans are welcome to join in this case but usually don't. They're not as interested in hot sun, possibly because they're black and have more body fat.

On the other hand, our Legbars embed with the bodaciously fluffy Marans when it's time to preen, possibly because nothing says safety like a wall of Marans.

Genetics and physiology explain segregation in these situations, without breeds necessarily knowing they look the same to us.

Obviously, my observations are specific to the differences of 2 distinct breeds in a specific setting. Not sure how it holds up in other settings with mixed breeds, etc.

On another line of thinking, while Legbars might not identify specifically as Legbars, they can certainly see their own feathers as they preen, which may be enough to bolster the safety-in-numbers point that similar-looking beings are harder to pick off (brought up somewhere in this thread, but I can't seem to locate it--sorry).

Though when it comes to safety, our chickens appear to gravitate toward the bossiest hens or nearest rooster, no matter what they look like.

Lastly, the pheromones argument always rings true to me. We understand so little about smell. What those pheromones would signal to bring breeds together is a whole other rabbit hole.

 

[RoyalChick]

I finally got some pictures imported.

Now I'm ready to pay my back taxes.

This picture is one of my ISA Browns View attachment 2933652

This picture has two of my ISA Browns, the one on the right is Henrietta who lost her comb.

View attachment 2933651

These are three of the six chickens I rehomed.

How did she lose her comb?!

 

[HiEverybirdy]

Mine grow devil horns.

Hee hee, our Andre* is working on a boss set of those. Reminds me of the brows on Sam the Eagle.

*The Andre photo is also tax.

 

[GregnLety]

Our bantams readily mix with our full size Easter Eggers and lavender orpingtons, roosters being the exception of course. They have been taught to keep their distance via beatings from our dominant rooster, an Easter egger mix. Red has a healthy set of spurs that even the bigger roosters fear. Picture of Red attached.

 

[Marie2020]

Between my neighbour and I we made a curtain too cover the coop door too help keep their heat inside the coop.

Some clever person came up with it in fluffy butts. I will post a picture tomorrow.

It's strips of quality plastic cut so they can come in and out when they please into the run. We have had freezing fog the whole of the coop and run is covered but this has made it even more cozy for them.

I will sleep better knowing they will be warmer tonight

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I. Don't know if I've mentioned before, but I've noticed that even within a breed, colors will segregate.my pheonixes are a great example. The normal gold duckwing females will stay with the flock master and they tend to like the weird colored ones to keep their distance when it's not feeding time

 

[pennyJo1960]

Morning Gang, Okay so it is cold here. Arthritis is not as bad without the moisture added.

Not sure I showed this bird as tax.